API: Take Action on Behalf of Wild Birds
December 14th, 2006 2:55 pm by Kelly GarbatoUPDATE, 1/17/07:
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From: API Newsletters
Date: Jan 17, 2007 4:04 PM
Subject: European Union Permanently Bans Imports of Wild Birds for the Pet Trade
European Union Permanently Bans Imports of Wild Birds for the Pet Trade
Thanks to all of you who took action to help birds stay wild!
Good News! On January 11, 2007, European Union (EU) officials announced new trade regulation governing the import of live birds that which will effectively ban the importation of wild-caught birds for the pet trade.
A temporary wild ban was placed on the importation of wild bird to the EU in October 2005 after birds that died in British quarantine were found to have bird flu. The ban was extended until the end of December 2006 when the EU’s chief veterinary officers were charged with deciding whether it should continue.
In mid-December 2006, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that the United Kingdom was in support of a permanent ban on the importation of wild-caught birds to the EU, citing concerns for the welfare of imported birds.
The EU new restrictions actually exceed the protections set forth by the United States’ Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992. For example, the EU restrictions will cover all exotic birds, unlike the Wild Bird Conservation Act which exempts certain “approved” species from import restrictions.
The EU was the largest importer of wild caught birds in the world, responsible for over 90 percent of imports of threatened and endangered species. Prior to the current ban the EU imported approximately 1.76 million birds for the pet trade each year. With this ban in place, the biggest importer of wild birds is now Japan.
For several years API and many other advocacy organization and individual activists have urged the European Union to stop the trade in wild-caught birds.
Thanks to all of you who took action through letters and petitions to help the European Union realize that birds are more beautiful wild!
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From: API Newsletters – donotreply [at] apiforanimals.org
Date: Dec 13, 2006 5:08 PM
Subject: Take Action on Behalf of Wild Birds
1. Send Tony Blair a Thank You Card
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair recently announced that the United Kingdom supports a permanent ban on the importation of wild-caught birds to the European Union (EU).
A temporary wild ban was placed on the importation of wild bird to the EU in October 2005 after birds that died in British quarantine were found to have bird flu. The ban runs until the end of December 2006, when the EU’s chief veterinary officers will decide whether it should continue.
Please send Tony Blair a personal thank you card for taking a strong stand on the trade in wild birds. Positive feedback to public policy makers and others, for actions taken on behalf of animals, can go a long way to ensuring that they will give consideration to other animal issues in the future.
Go to www.api4animals.org/actionalerts?p=1006&more=1 for more on this issue and information on where to send your cards.
2. Help Protect Cormorants
Bill 156, introduced in the Ontario parliament, threatens to remove all protections for the double-crested cormorant. These birds are now in danger of losing what minimal protections are currently afforded to them under provincial Ontario legislation, allowing them to be slaughtered at will.
Your action is now needed on the cormorants’ behalf. Let the government of Ontario know that cormorants, once nearly extinct thanks to DDT and other pollutants, still require protection. The current and future extermination of these birds that will come as a result of Bill 156 is unacceptable and unnecessary.
Please send your comments today on behalf of these misunderstood birds! Go to www.api4animals.org/actionalerts?p=1005&more=1 for details.
Other Ways to Help the Birds
National Bird Day
The Animal Protection Institute (API) in coordination with the Avian Welfare Coalition (AWC) is calling on activists around the U.S. to take action on behalf of captive birds by drawing attention to the exploitation of other countries’ native birds by the U.S. pet industry on January 5, 2007 — National Bird Day.
For more information on how you can participate in National Bird Day, go to www.nationalbirdday.com/b_get_involved.php.
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Posted 12/13/06 – Okay to Forward/Crosspost
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